Land of Kangaroo- Western Australia (Part 1)

Hello world!!

I just got back from Australia last Friday but I was too hooked up with tiredness and laziness.
I wished I didn't have to fly home from Australia.The only word I will assign for this country is, AWESOME!!.Yes, Australia is indeed a lovely country.The more lovely thing about this trip is, I have my 8 year old niece coming with me.This trip is meant for her, for she managed to get good results and best student in her class in the exam.Which means, to add up, I visit Australia for the first time and travel with my niece for the first time.How's that sound?

Day 1: Arrived Perth - Cottesloe Beach - Fremantle city
We flew to Perth at 2350hrs, 2nd June by AirAsiaX. Thanks a lot AirAsiaX. The journey took 5 hours, and I didn't sleep at all. But no complain here..heheh.. The flight D7236 touched down Perth International Airport around 0550 hrs. It was winter and it was still dark when we arrived.

Lulu

The cool morning temperature was quite freezing but it was nothing compared the extreme cold when I was in Tianjin and Beijing. Pitty little Lulu but she could cope with the cold.
After 30 minutes of decision making, I finally decided to get a cab to Cottesloe, where our lodging place was.
It was quite far from the airport, 40 minutes or so. I had a chat with the cabby, a guy from Hyderabad, India, and he is a Muslim. The nicest thing I will remember forever, he gave me some discount on the fare because I am his Muslim brother (sister..of course). Thank you mate.

Lulu on the arrival day

Presenting rosemary bush..hehe

It was still dark when we arrived Cottesloe. The check-in time was supposed to be at 1300 hrs, but we just wanted to dump our bulky luggage at the luggage room. As the sun started to rise, my little Lulu insisted on going to the beach. We removed our shoes, and wowww...the white fluffy sand was cold. Lulu was so excited and she approached the shore, dumped her feet, and had fun with the wave. At first, I was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle the trip, but I was so wrong. She did enjoy the time at the beach, while I was sitting boringly waiting for her to finish. Hehehe...lousy aunt. 

Excited baby

There you go...hahaha

I'm surprised to see several individuals were swimming there and some were jogging by the beach in this cold weather. Obviously they are already well adapted to the cold winter days. It was cloudy but everything started to glow when the sun was coming out. The sea finally show its real colour, my all time favorite of emerald-turquoise water. I enjoyed taking photos of Lulu's, which add up to my photo collection of this little girl. Owh by the way, initially she was wearing the jacket, but later she removed her jacket and enjoy the beach without any jacket. This girl...well...is really a little tough one.

Where is the jacket?

After and hour or so, we walked to the Cottesloe train station.Dannggg...it was really far from the beach (for both of us) but lucky the weather was nice and really comforting. The only thing we couldn't stand was walking uphills on our way to the station. I decided to go to Fremantle and do some shopping at E-Shed market. It's really near to the Fremantle train station. At Eshed market, I bought several fridge magnets and thought of getting some other souvenirs too but the prices are wee bit higher than I thought. So we just walked around and had some thick fries for Lulu. That was our lunch for the day. I thought of visiting the Fremantle Prison, The Mint and just strolling around the city, but Lulu was too tired to walk. Of course she would feel tired as she didn't get enough and proper sleep last night, plus the coldness where she was still have to adapt with. There weren't many photos taken at Fremantle though. We took a bus back to Cottesloe, and I must say that we got on a wrong bus. Instead of disembarking right on front of our hotel, we ended up walking 1km or more from the junction. Huhu...pitty Lulu. But she is a little tough strong girl...We finally checked in to the hotel and rest.

Nice place for souvenirs shopping

Fremantle Train Station

We spent the remaining of our arrival day resting, and when the sun started to set, I went out to buy dinner meal near the hotel. It costed AUD18.50 for a set of fish an chips, and a bowl of salad. It was a big portion though so we had our stomach full enough.

Day 2 : Caversham Wildlife Park - Swan Valley - King's Park

    We begin our wonderful trip in Western Australia by visiting Swan Valley and the infamous Caversham Wildlife Park. I booked this day trip from Kandu Holidays early of the year. This tour company, owned by a lovely husband and wife, Tony & Karen, caters for small group tourists and visitors tailors various trips as well. I am definitely recommending this Kandu Holidays to anyone who wish to see Western Australia in the most pleasant, comfortable and hostile way. Tony & Karen themselves are very professional in providing their services. Feel free to surf  www.kanduholidays.com.au. I do have plans to return to Western Australia in spring next year, and I am planning to book trips to several destinations that I didn't get the chance to cover in this trip.

 Our first visit was at Caversham Wildlife Park.All Australian native animals (except the Tasmanian devils) were displayed here. Wombats, wallabies, kookaburra, kangaroos, koalas...you name it. It was really a great time to do all this photography thing, and it was such a wonderful moment to get close to the animals which I could only see in magazines and TVs. I was so glad Lulu did have fun in the park. She couldn't wait to feed the kangaroo and the climax was when she held a python for the first time ever. She was so scared but after a series of convincing-forcing, she finally able to TOUCH and HOLD the python. Well done little girl.

Clean and less smelly goats

Australian chicken

Cute sheep

Kookaburra

All species of birds displayed in this park were interesting to look at. I particularly love the colourful birds such the cockatoos and kookaburra, but the owls are just awesome as ever. There were pink cockatoos, red-tailed cockatoos and tropical parrots. There were also eagles, white peacocks, ducks and many other avians which I wasn't sure what they are.     

          

       

 Before we spent longer time with the kangaroos and koalas, we saw other Australian mammals such as dingos, wombat, wallaby, possum and many others. I have no idea that a dingo would look like a dog, and a fox can be a very beautiful animal. And I just knew that wombat also has a pouch, just like a kangaroo. But I couldn't see any wombat carrying its youngster in its pouch. A wombat looks like a swine, but a wombat is always a wombat. Never a swine. That's what most of the people, especially those who've never set foot in Australia, would say. It was super cute when it was small but a little bit of losing its cuteness when it became adult wombat. Haha...but whatever it is, I love cute and harmless animals.

Lulu and I with adult, sleepy wombat.

A possum

A type of Dingo

Fox...gorgeous animal

Other then seeing these incredible animals, we were also entertained by the demonstration of shed shearing. Initially, I felt sympathy for those sheeps thinking that they would suffer when their wool was sheared. But one interesting fact I've learnt from this activity was that, after shearing, sheeps' skin produce a natural chemical substance known as lanolin (not sure of the spelling). This substance protects the sheeps from cold and cuts resulted from the shearing process. Another interesting fact was that, sheeps would get immobilized when they were not on their feet. But to get them off their feet would need some effort.  

Tony and Karen prepared morning tea for us. Karen baked lovely apple riccota and I loved it so much. I think it's easy to bake this dessert but I'm not sure if we have riccota cheese in Malaysia

Shearing in progress

Kangaroos...the symbol of Australian native animals

Sleeping Koala

I wished this fella was awake. 

Like a cat. Really tame

Will never forget this experience

She loved the albino kanga

Scratching and scratching

Feeling good eyy

After having loads of wonderful time in Caversham Wildlife Park, we had lunch at the nearby park, which I couldn't remember the name. It was public holiday. As I recall, it was the Australian Foundation Day on every 4th of June. There were so many people around the park. Oh by the way, I couldn't get proper meal for Lulu from the cafe since everything was inedible and out of stock. So we had a pack of milk each. After meal, we went to the Transport Museum and saw vehicles and commuters to transport goods, and people in the past time. Check this registration number of this cool car...hahaha

Instead of 1962, it would be cool if it was 1982

Next point of visits were tourist centres around Swan Valley such as honey farm, coffee tasting, nougat and chocolate factory. First, we visited an outlet selling honey. Until I visited this place, I didn't know there were different flavors of honeys. The tastes were named according to the plants of origin where the bees collected nectar. Some flavors, as I recall, such as Gumtree, Red Coast and a few others. I bought each flavor in a small container and all went to my mum. Hehe...Other then pure honey, there were also whipped honey, which was really nice, but a little expensive than pure honey. They were innovative enough to produce sparkling water made of honey too!!

It was time for coffee tasting. Well, Lulu and I are not coffee lover, so we got out from the outlet and had fun with the outdoor environment of this outlet. We lay down on the clean looking grass and enjoyed the beautiful view. I was so happy to see my little Lulu having fun, though it would we funner if there were other kids of her age joining the trip. I'm too old to play run and catch thing...hehe..

Clean grass, nice for enjoying the blue sky

The vineyard  in winter

Next, we visited Margaret River chocolate outlet. Wowww...there were so many visitors and I was so blurred when seeing people here and there. We didn't get the chance to taste the chocolate. And looking at the prices of the chocolates, I thought it was expensive. Well, I didn't want to spend on something not so worth buying. I still prefer Cadbury though. Wait till I get the chance to isit Tasmania next year. 

In less than 15 minutes in the chocolate factory, we headed to a nougat outlet. Nougats were my favorite snack other than chocolate. Subtracting the sweetness, I considered nougat as healthy food because of it contains various types of nuts, berries and grains. However, the prices for nougats sold here were quite expensive. I wonder if there was any places selling nougat with cheaper price. I totally forgot that visiting these kinds of outlet  would definitely burn the pockets. I think I need to get some info on this because I don't think the items sold should be that expensive. 

Our final stop today was King's Park. It was not in the itinerary but Tony & Karen were so generous to bring us there. It was almost dusk but we could still see the view of central Perth from the park. It would be an amazing view if we managed to visit this park much earlier and minus the reduced visibility due to mist/fog/haze, whatever it was. That was the end of our day 2

View of Perth city from King's Park

Last pose of the day. Photo taken by Lulu

The Heritage Region of Vietnam : Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang

Day 1: Arrived Da Nang and transfer to Hue

Hello Vietnam!!! Here I am again. It took us 3 hours to arrive this charming city of Da Nang. Thank you AirAsia for flying us there with, and of course for your reasonably cheap airfares. Upon arrival, we took a cab (MaiLinh) straight to Hue, though there was a little delay when our drive had to pull over for over-speeding. The maximum speed was 50km/h. No wonder it took 2 hours++ to reach Hue which is only 100 km from Da Nang. We passed through Hai Van pass (Hai Van means sea cloud). It was foggy but the views of the sea from the hills/mountains were awesome.

The Ngo Mon gate at night

We arrived Hue at noon, checked-in, had nice a nice Italian-dressing spaghetti and rested. Before taking a walk around Hue, we arranged an itinerary for the following day. We purchased city tour day trip at the hotel reception. At dusk, we took a cyclo and went around the old city of Hue. Before sightseeing started, we agreed to pay VND 100,000 for 2 person for 1 hour. We were brought to the citadel and the entrances to the city. It was not worth a ride because it was so dark and difficult to get good pictures. We dropped by a shop selling
materials for Ao Dai (traditional Vietnamese costume for ladies) and I could say I was amazed with the colourful, nicely embroidered and glittering pieces of cloths. I got myself a pair of white and purple cloth. It costed USD75 for two sets of Ao Dai cloths. We didn't really have the slightest idea on the actual price, so we paid the money and went away.

From our experience taking the cyclo ride (and my previous trips to Vietnamcities), there are couple of things to be kept in mind for those who wish to travel to Vietnam. Firstly, fix the price and be firm on the price before getting on the cyclo. Secondly, time the ride. Thirdly, DO NOT SHOW ANY INTEREST if you happen to see interesting shops and DO NOT LET THE cyclo guy force you to stop at those shops. Just say NO.  If you are interested to drop-by at those shops, do return later and shop happily and freely. :). There is a long story to jot here, but I think many travelers will get idea behind the reminders. Before we return to the hotel, we surveyed for a nicer hotel for tomorrow and we got one which was just next door from the hotel we were staying in this day

Main Entrance to Imperial Citadel of Hue via Ngo Mon gate

Day 2: Hue City Tour: UNESCO World Heritage Site, Emperors' Tombs, Perfume River Cruise

For USD 8 per person, we had a full and satisfying day trip around Hue. The first landmark, being one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Complex of Hue Monuments which include Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and other

entrances (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/678). It was nice to look at these monuments and good for our camera to work on too. I wish I would appreciate this visit by reading more on the history but my mind was too congested for historical stuff. Perhaps, I should try putting more effort to read and enhance my knowledge on every place I have visited, just like my mum. I'm so impressed with her knowledge in history.

Next stop was a visit to house garden. If I am not mistaken, the listing as provided by our hotel reception stated 'Imperial" garden instead of house garden. But whatever it is, I think this place is not worth a visit because there were not much flowers to appreciate. The only cool thing was the house was used by the imperials' descendants and another thing was, while it was scorching heat outside, it was really cooling in the inside. At noon, we had lunch at a restaurant near our hotel.

Nice view 

At Khai Dinh Tomb

After lunch, it was time to visit Thien mu pagoda and three selected tombs of the emperors along the Perfume River. The Thien Mu pagoda is a part of the Complex of Hue Monument but we didn't bother to fully explore this place. We just had a peek and headed to the stalls selling souvenirs. I bought myself fridge magnets (as usual), conical  Vietnamese straw hat (non la) and a stitch painting. Done with the pagoda, the coach brough us to the tombs. The first tomb visited was the Tomb of Minh Mang. There were several gates before reaching the mausoleum and the one I recall was Hien Duc gate.
We were given 40 minutes to explore the tomb but given that hot and sunny afternoon, we returned to the coach much earlier.


Two kilometers from Minh Mang tomb is Khai Dinh tomb which is more popular and more interesting than the former. More interesting camera shots can be done here. The arched staircase heading to the top and the statues of the warriors are the most frequently photographed spots. It would be more pleasant to take many camera shots if the weather was cooler. The sun was shining brightly and clear blue sky was good enough for nice pictures.

Warrior statues at Khai Dinh Tomb

After spending 40 minutes at the Tomb of Khai Dinh, we went to the Tomb of Tu Duc.  Before we arrive there, we stopped at shops selling incense and various other souvenirs. The incenses were arranged in lovely ways. The incenses were on the spot but we didn't bother to know about the process because our cameras were busy at that time. I am not sure if different colour incenses have different scent.

One of the entrances to the Imperial City

A pavillion at the Tomb of Tu Duc

Last tomb visited was the tomb of Tu Duc. This was really a nice place with decent and simple landscape, yet stunning. I couldn't stand the heat so I decided to relax under a tree and snapped more pictures to make full use of the leisure time. Done with all the tombs, we were taken to the riverbank where we embarked a modified platform boat and cruised along Perfume River. The river was considerably clean and the ride on the roofed platform boat was pleasant and cooling. I might fall asleep with the fresh breeze along the river. After 1 hour, we disembarked from the platform boat at the other end which is a very short walk from the hotel. We collected our belongings and checked-in in the other hotel.

Our day did not end there. We rented a motorcycle and explored parts of the imperial city that were not visited during the day. One of it was the colourful gate, which I'm not sure of the name. We took our own sweet time to photograph these eye-catching views. Well, from this activity, I may say that night photography is really a challenging skill and patience is a must. It appears easy enough when reading photography articles about night photography but application wise, was quite frustrating. Practices make things perfect so giving up is not an option. :).Then, we strolled along the river where the night market was before we returned to the hotel.

Day 3: Hue to Hoi An with stop at Lang Co beach

It was time to say adios to Hue. We took the 8 am bus to Hoi An. We were happy enough to see the big bus coming to pick us up, but later we got angry because the air-conditioner didn't work and we have to slide open the window and gasp unhealthy,polluted air along the journey to Hoi An. This was the part where I hated most. As the result, I returned my homecountry having high fever, flu and cough.

One of the old houses in Hoi An

This journey took 4 hours and the bus stopped at a small restaurant somewhere at Lang Co beach. Since there was nothing edible (except for the junkfood), I decided to have a peek at the area behind the restaurant. It was worth a peek because there was a beach and the view was quite nice, though the shore was too dirty with rubbish. Forget the rubbish, focus on the horizon, and all I got was breathtaking, eye-soothing views. After 40 minutes, the bus left Lang Co and headed to Hai Van pass where it passed through a long tunnel, longer than anything we have back at home.

Sunset view

Japanese Bridge

Finally, we arrived Hoi An after a long, nearly suffocating bus ride. We checked-in at An Phu hotel which was the last drop-off point for all passengers. We rested and  around 3 pm local time, we rented a bike and started the Hoi An Old City tour. There were areas where vehicles were not allowed except bicycles, and pedestrians. The environment was just awesome and I like this place very much. It resembles exactly like a typical old town I saw in many Chinese movie, but  of course in its own style. There were many traditional buildings, lanterns here and there, and most local people were in their national costumes. It was such a small town but most importantly, it is gazetted as UNESCO World Heritage site. We went to the Japanese Bridge, just to see this famous landmark and the symbol of Hoi An. It was built by the Japanese community and the architecture was just as modest.

We decided to spend the whole evening in Hoi An old town. I was so impressed during the sunset. The environment, the atmosphere changed dramatically. This was the time where our camera shutters were busy doing their jobs. Colourful lanterns were lit own, adding a romantic, yet cheerful atmosphere in Hoi An old town.

Crossing the fully lit up bridge to another part of the town, we went to the stalls selling lanterns. There were many shapes, colours and sizes which were attractive enough to make me spend the dollars. Hoi An will be even more cheerful and happening during the full moon festival. This is the strongerst reason to return to Hoi An but the next time I return, I will include Dalat n Nha Trang in my itinerary. Gossshhhh....so many places I still need to visit.

Around 8 pm, there were performances by the locals and I liked them very much. The traditional dances were colourful, graceful and energetic. Since Hoi An is one of the world heritage site, it is such a great idea to organize this kind of performance every night. It would be nicer if there were halal food outlets so that we could spend more time dining and enjoying the atmosphere. I do wish our Muslims will step in Hoi An and set up restaurants serving halal food.

The silence of Hoi An was felt as early as 9 pm. Shops closed except for small convenient stores and the Westerners who were expecting night life there would not be able to spend time in bars or clubs. There was no clubs or bars available in Hoi An. Maybe there was something at the beach but we didn't go there (tried to, but it was too far to travel by bike at night time). We went back to the hotel and our day ended earlier.


Day 4: My Son sanctuary, Marble Mountain, Cham Museum and Da Nang

At 8 am, we started our trip to another UNESCO World Heritage site, My Son sanctuary. It took around 1 hour to get there from Hoi An. My Son sanctuary is a place where ancient temples and shrines of Hinduism were preserved. At 9.30 am and 11.30 am (if not mistaken) everyday, there are performances by local youths which are really awesome and entertaining. Three musical performances were presented before tourists head to the main historical sites.I couldn't remember the name of  each performance but I attached the shots of the performances.

One of the temples in My Son

My perception on Buddhism and Hinduism changed a bit when I visited My Son sanctuary. What I meant is, I haven't thought that Hinduism and Buddhism are related to each other. And it appears that both are related and originated from India. I knew that Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Gauthama Buddha, but I didn't notice the first two names were Hindu names. I think I have to read more about the history of Hinduism and Buddhism. Like I said before, is it not yet the right time for me read on heavy stuff like history and religion. Another thing that came into my mind was the influence of Hinduism in Malay tradition and culture. I saw similarities on the dance performance. It's not entirely the same, of course, but the influence of certain aspects from Indo-Chinese region were cultivated in Malay society, perhaps long time ago. 

Our way out from the complex of temples and shrines

The Hinduism aspects in this sanctuary did not look anything like the Hinduism in Bali. According to mum, the Hinduism practiced in Bali is the ancient Hinduism, but I do not know how ancient it is. And now my question, which Hinduism appears longer? Is it the one presented in My Son sanctuary, or the one in Bali? Regardless of the length of time, I still think that the Hinduism practiced in Bali is really unique and interesting. Mum also said Bali is a land of festivals because there are many rituals, cultural events and religious routines being held almost every single day of the year. I've been to Bali 3 times but so far I didn't get the chance to witness those events yet. I need to get a local Bali friend practicing Hinduism and ask more about this. I miss visiting Bali so much.                        

Parts of Marble Mountain

Well, we didn't spend much time here as we were more interested to spend more time in the museums, the Cham Museum and the War Museum. Around 10.30 am, we headed to Marble Mountain, which is 1.5 hours journey from My Son. Marble Mountain, was the main resource for marbles, but I'm not sure if it is still the main resource today. There were many shops selling marble carvings, be it big carvings or small carvings, and pendants as well. On the top of the mountain, there were several pagodas and lookout points which facing the Eastern Sea (East China Sea actually but the Vietnamese refused to use ECS). It was pretty cooling up there though the altitude was below 1000 ft (my guess only). There was nothing much to see, thank god, or else we have to spend lesser time in the museums.

Bucket boat and the lifeguard

In less than 30 minutes, we got back to the car and headed to Cham museum. Well, frankly speaking, if one has been to Angkor Wat, a visit to Cham museum does not a necessity. This is a museum displaying all artifacts and remnants of religious sculptures and figures from the excavations of ancient Buddhist religious sites around Vietnam.
Next, we had seafood lunch at one of the famous seafood restaurant in Da Nang. We had tiger prawns, crabs and clamps. And it costed us USD 18 for 3 people. I think the prawns, crabs and clamps are fresh and for USD 18, they are bloody cheap. I just wish I can have seafood meals every week at where I'm staying now, but it appears to be not possible at the moment. After lunch, we were brought to the War Museum but we got a rotten luck as the museum was only opened at certain tima and entrance was only for tourists in groups. We decided to get to the hotel, and let the driver to return to Hoi An earlier. So, we checked-in at Jimmy Hotel which is a walking distance from the beach. Around 5 pm, we rented a bike and had a look at the beach. It was a nice beach, and unlike beaches in the Peninsular Malaysia coasts, the one in Da Nang is really clean and clear. I was eyeing for the bucket boat which I think was exclusive in Vietnam. Tried to take good pictures of it but the one I posted here is the only what I've got.

After sunset, we went to Han market where more Ao Dai materials were sold. We bought another several pieces of cloth and it happened that I didn't have much USDs left. I would definitely have bought more pieces for myself. After shopping, we had lunch at PIZZAHUG, and had tuna pizza, instead of vegetarian pizza. So I guess, that's the end of hour trip in the heritage region of Vietnam

Day 5: Returned to Kuala Lumpur with a hope that I didn't have to return home, but travel somewhere else.

Our expenditure for this trip

1) Airport cab to Hue                   USD 50
2) Hotels in Hue                           USD 60 (2 nights)
3) Hue City Tour                          USD  8  (per pax)
4) Entrance fees:
           Imperial Citadel                 VND  55,000
           House garden                    VND  10,000
           3 tombs                             VND 165,000
                                                     VND 230,000 (USD 11)
4) Bus Hue to Hoi An :                  USD  4  (per pax)
5) Hotel in Hoi An      :                  USD 12  (1 night)
6) One way day trip to My Son Sanctuary, Marble Mountain & Cham Museum + 1 night hotel in Da Nang (private tour)                                 USD 100 (for 2 pax)
7) Entrance fees:
            My Son sanctuary:            VND 60,000 per pax
            Marble Mountain :             VND 30,000 per pax
            Cham Museum    :             VND 30,000 per pax
                            Total   :              VND 120,000 per pax (6 USD)
7) Seafood lunch             :              USD   18 (for 3 pax)
8) Souvenirs                    :              USD lost track....:)

Beijing & Tianjin in Winter

14th December 2011

The long waited trip has finally begun. My travel buddy, Onah, and I finally fulfilled our wish to visit Beijing, especially the Great Wall of China. I just couldn't believe that I was already arriving Tianjin Binhai Airport at noon. Oh by the way, we purchased this trip with AirAsiaGo which was cheap and worth the money spent. There were 30 people in this trip and our tour guide, Aron (not Aaron Kwok OK!!) was a good tour guide and his English was good and clear. It was very cold in the arrival hall, and even colder when we got out from the hall. I think the temperature must be below 5'C. Glad that I have everything prepared, though I need something to warm my hands better than the layers of acrylic glove and mum's leather glove. We got into a bus and head to Beijing. That took around 2 hours, due to the traffic on the expressway.

When we arrived Beijing, we were taken to a Chinese restaurant. We were separated from the others as we requested for vegetarian food. All dishes were vegetables, mustards, brinjals, celeries and a few others. I have no complain on the cooking because I just love any vegetable dishes. It was weird though to be a strict vegetarian for dinner of that day. After dinner, we were brought to the City Inn hotel and checked-in.

15th December 2011

Good morning Beijing!! The temperature for this morning was below 0'C. We put on our warm clothing and as I expected, I have problem warming my hands and my fingertips started to numb. But that didn't prevent me from taking some pictures around the hotel. We had breakfast (horrible one) in the hotel cafe before we boarded the bus. Today, we were taken first to the Jade factory, the amazing Great Wall of China (Juyongguan pass), Summer Palace and Beijing Acrobatic Show.

One of the watchtowers/barracks of the Great Wall

Our first stop was the jade factory, which was
actually a government outlet selling jades and various other souvenirs at sky-high prices. I was told that all tour packages to any part of China must include visits to government-owned outlets, be it jade factory, silk factory, pearl market and traditional medicine outlets. However, the best thing to do is, never ever buy anything from these outlets if you think you can get the same item but far a lot cheaper outside. This may sound harsh but my Chinese friends have approved on this matter. Don't get easily conned especially at the traditional medicine outlets (known as Bao Shutang) or massage centres where the workers there are very convincing in promoting their products. At some places, one will be approached by a 'shaman' or their own version of medical practitioners, requested to check the palms or neck for free, and come out with their own diagnosis on your health problem (if you know you are healthy, ignore whatever they may say about your unreal problem).

After an hour or so, we departed for the most awaited site to be visited, the Juyongguan Great Wall of China, or Badaling. Weather was sunny with a clear, cloudless sky. It was just perfect for my photography minus the coldness that numbing part of my face. The route to the entrance gate was awesome, something that I have never seen before. Landscape appeared like golden carpet, which made me thought it was summer, instead of winter. By the way, Great Wall of China is one of 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, and I am glad that I finally get the chance to be here.

It was built during the Qin dynasty to protect the northern Chinese empire from intrusions of various groups. However, most of the remaining sections of the Great Wall were built during Ming Dynasty. According to what I have read from Wikipedia, this Great Wall measures 8,851.8 km long. There are actually 4 sections that are regularly visited 1) the Juyongguan Pass, 2) the Jiayuguan Pass 3) the Shanhaiguan Pass and 4) the Jinshanling Pass. The nearest to Beijing is of course the Juyongguan (Badaling) Pass. Great Wall were built from rammed earth, lime, tiles, stones wood and bricks.

There are shops selling various souvenirs, of course at a excessively marked up price and coffee shops which are more expensive than Starbucks. There was a moment where I couldn't handle the freezing of my fingers, so we entered the coffee shop and get a cup of hot chocolate, while warming ourselves for awhile. Of course, I was more than happy to take pictures at this place and this was the most expensive moment to be kept in my photo album. I didn't explore hte Great Wall as most of the visitors did. It was not easy to walk about the wall while bringing my tripod and on top of that, the steps  were irregular and steep that if I didn't be careful, I might slip and fall. The cold weather did not trigger my mood to walk and stroll around Great Wall. Most of the time was used to snap pictures. I prefer neat and clear pictures, so I have to wait until other tourists were not visible on my camera viewfinder. I thought there wouldn't be many people visiting China during winter but clearly I was wrong. Russians, Indians, British, Indonesians...you name it, all were there to visit this ancient structure. After about an hour and a half, we got back to the best and it was time to say goodbye to Great Wall of China. I am not sure if I can return in other season, but I hope I can return.

Semi frozen lake at Summer Palace

 Next, we had our lunch at a restaurant where I could only see Malaysians left, right, behind and front of me. This restaurant served halal food and they were really nice for hungry people craving for food. I couldn't remember the dishes served but I ate a lot to restore the energy used to overcome the winter coldness.After lunch, we were brought to Bao Shutang, listened to whatever the staff have to convey and wait for other tour members to shop. I didn't buy anything except for two reusable hot packs costing RMB 5 each. It will be very useful for my next trip to cold places. The next attraction for this day was the Summer Palace.

Wrapping nose to avoid excessive dryness

The Summer Palace was inaccessible and we can only view it from across the semi-frozen lake. It was almost dark, which means the temperature was getting lower, and to add the 'flavor' to the readily unbearable coldness, wind blow so strongly. By the way, the pinkish-orange sky at the horizon was really beautiful. I started to snap the nicest view possible without thinking too much on the ice cold breeze.

It was getting colder, and colder, and colder. I was fortunate to put on 2 layers of snow cap, or else I might suffer brain-freeze. But I still need another pair of gloves to reduce 'finger freeze'. So I bought a pair of over sized purple glove. A lesson to learn was, be careful when you buy anything from the street vendor. They may cause you to lose some money if they get the chance. Please remember to check the balance they give you because it appeared that they may give you either fake money of other countries notes which are easily devalued (i.e Taiwan notes, Russian notes). Don't ever let them see you holding RMB100 notes because they will try to change them with other notes they have in many ways possible.

We had dinner at a Muslim restaurant. The dishes were nice but a few of them were salty. I thought it was not too bad, so I ate till full, and drank lots of water to remove excessive salt from blood. After dinner, we went to see the Beijing Acrobatic Performance. It started at 7.30 pm. Awesome!!! That is the only word

Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)

 I can say about this performance. The kids and teenagers must have been trained since they were small. They were amazing not only for their ability to control their physical movement, but also they were very focused, accurate and precise. One small mistake may lead to serious injury. They have a good teamwork too.

I thought it might be better to record this performance on my camera. But funnily, I couldn't figure out how to change my camera setting to movie mode. So I have no choice but to get still pictures of this performance. It was quite easy though the composition of the pictures were not so good. I increased the ISO (3200) and shutter speed to freeze the performers actions. On top of that, I set the camera to multiple shots. The show lasted for 1 hour, and we returned to the hotel.

16th December 2011
The tour for today started with a visit to the Temple of Heaven. It is a temple where the Emperor will go on his way to Summer Palace, and pray for a better harvest during the harvesting season. The morning temperature was even colder than the day before and scattered of ice were found on the compound heading to the temple. It was another lovely day though, sunny and cloudless sky. After the visit to Temple of Heaven, we went to the Silk factory. I have no idea that a set of pure washable silk bedsheets (they claim it's pure) costs up to thousands of ringgit. For those who do not

know, there is no way you can wash 100% pure silk, unless you send them for dry-clean, but sometimes they can't be washed at all. That's the fact you must keep in mind. Everything in the outlet was expensive. When we about to get on to the bus, there was a guy selling silk (at least he didn't say it's pure) totebags, 10 for RMB100 and free 1 bag. That was a great deal but I didn't buy it. It occurred to me that the next time I come to China, I will definitely bring more money for this kind of thing.
Next, we went to Tiananmen Square. It is the 3rd largest square in the world after Merdeka Square in Jakarta and Square of the Sunflowers in Brazil. The Tiananmen gate separates Forbidden City from Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square holds a significant history where hundreds of protesters died in a pro-democracy movement in 1989. The gate was built in 1415, during the era of Ming Dynasty, but the square was only designed in 1651. Mao Zedong mausoleum was built near the Tiananmen gate after the demised of President Mao in 1976. Besides the Tiananmen gate, there were also other iconic buildings within this square. This include the National Museum, National Grand Theater and a few others, which I can't recall. 

Passing through the Tiananmen Gate, we headed to Forbidden City, another UNESCO World Heritage. It was a huge complex consisted of several halls.

At dusk, we proceed to Wangfujing shoping street, a place where shopping malls selling original branded items were located. We were a little confused, having thought that this was the place where we can shop for dirty cheap items. Unfortunately, this is not the place. The two of us were the earliest to return to the bus and while walking along Donghuamen food street, I saw a stall with Muslim/Halal written on the display. From the look of the seller, I know they are Uygur so I have no doubt on the status of the food sold. Despite the warning by our tour guide on the cleanliness and hygiene on the sold food, we didn't really take it too deeply and decided to buy the tempting kebabs. After all, microbes are killed during the grilling. We approached that stall and ordered 6 pieces of lamb kebabs and 2 pieces of chicken kebabs. They were perfect to ease our hunger and delicious too. After an hour or so, we were brought to a halal restaurant, serving spicy food (most probably Sichuan food). They were really nice. That was double dinner for me. Hehe....

17th December 2011

A panda was about to have a nap after series of scratchings

View at the lake in Beijing Zoo

Our day started with a visit to Panda Garden which is located at the Beijing Zoo itself. The lake at the zoo was frozen but small birds and a pair of white swan wandered on the icy smooth surface. The beautiful scenery around the small lake/pond was really nice and breathtaking. And we went to see cuddly, cute and plushy Giant Pandas. According to the information board, pandas are active in the morning. They are fed in the morning and later they become less active and sleep most of the time. No wonder there were not many pandas on display as they have gone for long, or short nap. I took many pictures of these cute creatures but quite disappointed that I missed the baby pandas when they were playing among them. It was really cool to look at pandas here, but would be more interesting if I could get a picture of me holding baby panda.

Infamous Bird's Nest Olympic stadium

Next, another time wasting activity and pocket damaging event at Pearl market/factory/outlet...whichever word you prefer. This place is located near to the Bird's Nest stadium. The pearls sold here were freshwater pearls. There were some useful knowledge I have gained. I now know how to differentiate between freshwater oyster and saltwater oyster. how to differentiate between the fake and real pearls, types and qualities of pearls produced. Well, thank you for that. On top of selling jeweleries made of pearl, there were also skincare products derived from pearl. Oh, by the way, this place used different strategy in attracting us to purchase items here. Each of us were given a pearl ring. I'm not sure if it is real, but it didn't fit my finger, so I gave it to my sister-in-law.

The Water Cube

Actually, I just couldn't wait to photo-shoot at the Bird's Nest Stadium and the Water Cube. So I finally got the shots that I want. In less than 1 hour at these two modern structures, we were brought to a Massage Centre which is within the old stadium near the Bird's Nest stadium. The massage was free but we didn't want it because it would be a hassle for us to remove layers of socks and leg warmers. Another possibilities to get conned here!! At dusk, we were taken to the most awaited activity of the day that is shopping at Qianmen Street, or also known as Silk Street. It was a 6 storey building selling various items from souvenirs to imitation of branded items (clothing, bags,gadgets etc). My mission was to get silk tote-bag for my sister and painting in the bottles for myself (psssttt...would have more missions if i have more money on hand...hehe). The best person to have at this place would be my darling, or his mum. Ngeeeeee......they can bargain extremely well that the sellers may end up loosing. After doing some small shopping, we had dinner at the same restaurant on the first day we arrived Beijing. That's the end of the day.

Cherry trees by the road side

18th December 2011

This is the final day for our trip. We checked out from City Inn and the bus took us Tianjin city. There was nothing much to see (there must be more but we were not informed about it) but we had awesome lunch at a Muslim restaurant. We were served with Tianjin style steamboat. It was tasteless according to some of the group members but I have no problem with that. That's what we call healthy (unfortunately, this can be accepted only for a limited time). After lunch, we thought of surveying any shops selling souvenirs but we couldn't find any except for shops selling local product like sweets, liquors etc. A few photos of the place would do. At 1.15 pm, we were already at the airport and it was time to say 'adios' to China.